Cinnamon, nutmeg, cloves, and other spices often used in baking, and this video guide from America's Test Kitchen will walk you through when they're best applied, how you should buy them, and how you should store them when you get them home from the grocery store.

The video covers cinnamon (specifically the difference between real cinnamon and cassia, the spice most of us are getting when we buy "cinnamon" at the grocery store), cloves, nutmeg, and ginger, along with the best applications and storage methods for each. Even though the piece is focused on baking (and it's no secret the video is out now, close to the holidays), the ATK folks also explain other uses for each spice, like studding roasts and hams with cloves for extra punch, as opposed to using ground cloves for baking. Also, something we've mentioned before—always buy the smallest containers you can get of spices. That way you actually go through them as opposed to risking them losing their flavor by sitting in your cupboard for years, and they're easier to store.